Before the Worst
by Lily Beth O'Connor
Summary: Collin is now twenty five years old, and is one of the few wolves to not have imprinted. When he falls for Bonnie, a mysterious twenty year old woman he meets in Forks General, his world his shattered when he learns she is dying... PBD
1. Chapter 1 No Beginning

**Okay, I know I'm a sucker for imprint stories, but I felt so sorry for Collin, being all lonely and stuff! Anyway, let me know what you think! If you like it, I'll continue it! :)**

**There are some characters in here that are from my other story, Cloudless Sky, incase you haven't read it and were wondering who they were! **

**Chapter One - No Beginning**

"Brooke, gimme the OJ." I held out my hand towards my sixteen year old sister.

"Mom!" Brooke whined. "Collin's being rude again."

"Collin," My Mom muttered absent-mindedly as she fixed her hair in her compact mirror. "Stop teasing your sister."

I gritted my teeth and glared at Brooke. "Excuse me, Brooke? Could you please pass me the orange juice?"

Brooke flashed me her pearly white smile and slid the carton across the Formica-topped table.

Having a nine year age difference was really annoying sometimes, especially when your kid sister was as pretty and self confident as Brooke was.

Just then, her glossy pink cell phone rang, and she answered it while fluffing her blonde curls. No one in the whole of Forks or La Push could figure out where the blonde hair came from. My Mom reckoned it had to be something to do with her great grandparents being Norwegian.

Brooke immediately began to giggle into her phone, which let me know straight away that she was talking to Peter, her dumb-ass boyfriend.

A second later, she picked up her pink schoolbag and dashed out the door without so much as a goodbye to anyone.

My Mom sighed and leaned over to kiss the top of my head.

"I'm going to work, Collin. Will you be okay on your own?"

I sighed. She asked me this question every single day.

"I'll be fine, Mom. Brady's coming around. We're going to watch TV for a while."

Since I'd lost my job as a carpenter in Seattle, my Mom had been constantly fussing over me. We couldn't afford for me to go to college, and it wasn't really a good idea for me to get too far away from the pack anyway, so it suited me. Mom though, thought that being at home all the time would make me reckless, and she thought I was going to end up doing something stupid. As if.

So Mom left the house to catch the bus to Forks General Hospital, where she worked as a nurse in the tiny Intensive Care unit, leaving me to my own accord.

Brady had said he might call round, but he was working part time in Seth and Jacob's garage just outside of Forks, and his shift didn't finish till one, so I was on my own till then.

I contemplated calling round to Seth and Aoife, but I didn't want to be in the way - new baby and all that.

Embry? Nah, he was still in Ireland with Aoibheann.

Sam and Emily had taken Joel and Ella to Disneyland in LA for the weekend, so that wasn't an option either.

I went through the list of my friends and fellow wolves, but they were all busy with their objects or families or jobs.

Me, I had no job, no object, and barely no _life_. I was pretty much a failure.

A twenty five year old guy still sponging off his Mom. I really was lame.

And life sucked.

**Do you think I should continue? Please review and tell me!**


	2. Chapter 2 Another boring day?

**Chapter Two - Another Boring Day?**

I still felt so bored, so useless, so I tried to make use of myself by tidying the house.

Mom was so tired all the time - there were only three nurses in the intensive care unit in Forks General, and she was head nurse, which meant she had to work really long hours for really crappy pay.

I cleaned up, went for a walk, helped Brooke with her homework when she came home, hung out with Brady when he came around, and I _still _had loads of time left over.

I started to cook dinner.

Mom came in the door at almost eight, just as I was setting steaming bowls of spaghetti on the table.

"Oh, Collin, you're a great man," Mom said, rubbing her red rimmed eyes, and kicking off her white, neatly laced nurses shoes.

"Brooke!" I yelled, and she came into the kitchen, already dressed in her yellow pyjamas.

"Spaghetti?" She moaned. "Col, you only cooked it because you know I hate it!"

"Brooke," Mom snapped, setting a jug of water on the table. "Don't be so childish. You've been eating spaghetti your whole life."

Brooke rolled her eyes and sat down.

"So, Collin, what did you do today?" Mom asked, looking genuinely interested. I felt a flush creeping up my neck. I'd done practically nothing all day.

"Nothing really," I shrugged dismissively and shovelled some food into my mouth.

"No?" She actually looked disappointed, as if she had expected me to come out with some great big story or something.

Brooke began to babble on about her awful Spanish teacher, and Mom laughed at her.

"How was work?" I asked, cutting across Brooke. Mom sighed and put down her fork. Brooke's face fell, and we both instantly knew that she had had a bad day at the hospital.

"There was a young woman brought in," Mom said, taking a drink of water. "She was found on the side of a road somewhere, unconscious."

Numerous things flashed through my head. _Car accident? Attempted murder? Suicide?_

Before Mom could continue, Brooke's phone began to ring. I sighed loudly, and Mom glared at the tiny silver and pink thing now pressed against my sister's ear.

Mom never got the chance to finish her story.

When dinner was finished, Brooke went to bed, and Mom and I cleaned up.

"Collin, I'm going to suggest something to you. You don't have to agree, and I'm certainly not going to make you do anything you don't want to…" She trailed off as she scrubbed a particularly stubborn patch on a saucepan.

"Yes, Mom?" I said, drying some glasses.

"There's an ad up in the hospital for a janitor. I know you miss the carpentry, but to be honest, sweetie, you really need a job."I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut across me.

"I _know _you've been trying to get one, but I think that you should apply for the janitor work. I know it's not something you ever really wanted to do, and I know that it's not the best job in the world, but the pay isn't too awful, and it'll be good for you to get out of the house."

I was silent for a moment. She looked up at me apprehensively, her eyes brimming.

"Things have been so hard since your Dad died, Collin, and to be frank, we need the money."

"Mom," I said gently, putting down my tea towel and wrapping an arm around her thin shoulders. "Of course I'll apply for the job."

And so, next morning, I dropped Brooke off to school, and drove to the hospital to apply for the job as janitor.

The small reception area was bustling with people as usual, and I immediately stiffened as the scent of blood and antiseptic filled my nose. I approached the reception desk, where a blonde woman was sitting, typing away on a computer. I saw the ad taped to the dark wooden desk, and sighed. I opened my mouth to get the woman's attention, when something interrupted me.

"Collin?"

I turned around. Carlisle Cullen was standing behind me, his blond hair unruffled, his golden eyes startlingly grave.

"Oh, hey, Dr Cullen," I mumbled, ducking my head slightly. Sure, I knew the Cullen's, but I didn't know them _that _well.

"Is everything alright?" Dr Cullen asked me, looking serious.

"Oh, uh, everything's fine, Dr Cullen. I'm here to apply for a job." I tapped the sign, and understanding flooded Carlisle's face.

"Oh, you're applying for the janitor post? Good, that ad has been up for some time now."

Just as I was about to reply, I was interrupted yet again.

"Doctor Cullen!" A portly blonde nurse came rushing around the corner, a clipboard in hand. "You're wanted up in the cardiac ward."

"Thank you, Miriam," Carlisle said warmly, and the woman visibly swooned.

"I'll see you later, Collin. And the best of luck with the job." He smiled, and with a swish of his doctor's coat, was gone.

As I approached the desk again, the receptionist grinned at me. "Sorry," She said. "I couldn't help overhearing."

I smiled, though I was feeling slightly irritated. "So, the job?"

"Yeah, it's still available."

"And…?" I said, waiting.

"It's yours, if you want it. Though I don't really get why anyone would want to clean a _hospital_. I mean, you could get _anything _-"

I cut across her, not wanting to hear anymore. "Okay, so I have the job. Thanks. Where do I go now?"

The receptionist smiled again, and I felt even more irritated.

"You need to go the staff room."

"And that is…?"

"Down the corridor, and to the left. Big sign on the door. Sully is the head of the janitorial department. Just knock on the door of the staffroom, and ask for Sully."

I thanked her, and set on for the staff room.

It wasn't hard to find. I asked the disgruntled looking doctor who opened the door for "Sully", and then waited for a moment.

The door swung open again, and Sully was revealed. In my mind, I'd the image of some old, bearded guy, with a mop and bucket practically glued to his side.

Instead, I got something entirely different. Sully proved to be a tall red-headed girl, probably a couple of years younger than me. She was pretty, with big brown eyes and freckles that seemed to cover every inch of her thin face.

"Someone looking for me?" She said, looking out into the corridor while wiping what appeared to be donut crumbs from off her mouth.

"Uh, yeah," I mumbled, still not getting over the shock. "I'm here about the janitorial position."

She placed her hands on her hips and looked me up and down. "Are you freakin' serious? You want the job?"

I nodded, and she looked at me suspiciously. "Really?"

"Really," I sighed, and I ran a hand through my hair.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Collin," I replied.

"Team Collin and Sully, ridding the world of the evil of bad bacteria in hospitals!" Sully said loudly, sounding like a comic book freak. She squinted at me again. "I think it could work. 'Kay, welcome to the team."

She offered me her hand, and I shook it.

"You start tomorrow morning, nine a.m. on the dot. If you're late, you're out."

And with that, she was gone.

**Sorry, I know this is a little slow starting, but I'm getting there! please review!**


	3. Chapter 3 Bad News

**Chapter Three - Bonnie**

**Sorry it's been so long guys! It is summer after all, and I won a writing competition recently, so that's kept me pretty busy.. Anyway, please review, and I'll update ASAP! **

I had been sick for almost my whole life.

When I was two, I was diagnosed with bone marrow leukaemia. Most of my childhood had been spent being carted in and out of hospitals, undergoing operations, and meeting new donors. By the time I was twelve, I had had numerous bone marrow transplants, and had had chemo a lot, too. When I was fourteen, much to the relief of my parents, I was given the all clear and sent in remission. We moved to California. My Mom and Dad wanted me to live in the sun. I missed Boston, though I grew to love California's white sandy beaches, and the constantly beating sun.

Just over a year before I was due to be announced "cured", or in other words, to come out of remission, the cancer came back.

It was even worse this time.

After a week, the doctors said that the chemo just wasn't working, that my kidneys were failing, and that I would die peacefully in my sleep.

Miraculously, I pulled through. A week later, my Mom died in a car crash.

After that, my Dad lost it. He just couldn't cope. He had lost his wife, and he just wasn't able to handle the fact that he might lose his seventeen year old daughter, too. So, my sister Maria took over my life. She was only five years older than me, but it was her who became the one to cart me in and out of hospital, to hold my hand as I puked during chemotherapy, the one who became my rock.

I was still as sick as ever, but there were highs and lows, and I did my best. I taught myself to play the guitar, and I used to walk down to the children's ward, and play music for all the children there.

It would break my heart, knowing that they were as sick as I was, some of them worse.

By the time I was nineteen, I had been sent back into remission, and was doing my best to live a normal life.

I still had to go for regular checkups, but I didn't mind. I still visited the children's cancer ward, and played music everyday.

Occasionally, a familiar face would disappear from the ward, and the children would become withdrawn and silent as they contemplated the fact that they could be next.

"I've met someone," Maria said one evening as she set the table for dinner.

I almost dropped the saucepan I was holding.

"Really? Oh, Maria! That's wonderful!"

She gave a small smile. "His name is Wayne. We're getting married, Bonnie."

My stomach dropped. "What? Maria, you just met this guy, and you're marrying him?"

When she spoke, it was very quietly. "Bonnie, I've known him for over a year."

My throat felt as dry as the Mojave desert. "Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered, my throat aching.

Marie shrugged and turned away, her cheeks flooding with colour. "I don't know, Bonnie. I'm sorry."

There was no point in giving Maria a hard time about it. She'd had a hard time, I knew that. She'd been there for me my whole life, and now it was my turn to be there for her.

"Married…" I repeated. "Wow. That's great, Maria. I'm so happy for you."

She smiled, her pale, heart-shaped face lighting up momentarily. Her face fell them, and her grey green eyes filled slightly.

"He's from Washington, and he wants to move back there."

I grinned, delighted. "Washington? DC? Oh my God, that is _cool_! We'll be really close to Boston! We'll get to see our old friends, and I can go and see some of the kids I met in the hospital there, and -"

"Washington _State_, Bonnie."

My stomach dropped. Washington State? Oh no, anywhere but there.

Mom and Dad had brought us to Seattle in and around the time of my eighth birthday, and the memories of it still haunted me.

It had rained constantly from the moment we got there, out hotel had been damp and dirty and infested with cockroaches, and we all got food poisoning. We hadn't been back since, and I had never had any intentions of returning.

"Washington? Are you serious?"

Maria nodded. "We want to move there."

"Are you actually serious, Maria? Don't you remember that trip?"

She glared at me. "Wayne doesn't want to live in Seattle."

"Where's he want to live?"

"Forks."

"Forks? _Forks_? Maria, I've never even _heard _of that place before! But I bet it means _rain_!"

"Well, don't come then, you selfish bitch!" Maria screamed. "Did you even hear me asking you to come?"

"Fine!" I yelled back. "I won't come. I'll stay here, in California!"

"Fine!" She replied, tears streaming down her face.

"Why do you want to move to Washington anyway?" I shouted. "You hated it as much as I did!"

"But - But I _love _him!" Maria said, and she sat down at the kitchen table, her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

I glared down at her glorious blonde head, hating her. Hating her for wanting to go to Washington. Hating her being beautiful, for having found love, for being healthy and scar free.

And yet loving her for all those reasons too.

"Maria?" I tentatively knocked on my sister's bedroom door, my stomach writing with guilt. "Maria, please let me in. I'm so sorry."

I waited, my head leaning against the door. A second later, it opened without warning and I lurched forward, losing my balance.

Maria let out a hiccupy giggle, and caught me by the arm.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, I shouldn't have said those things to you."

I breathed in her familiar, almost motherly scent.

"Maria, you shouldn't be saying sorry. I should be. I'm the one who's a selfish bitch. And I'm jealous of you, I am. And I'm sorry."

Maria's eyes filled again and she threw her arms around my shoulders.

"Bonnie, please. I want you to come with us. I _need _you to come with us. I - I just can't leave you here on your own. What if you got sick again? I just couldn't."

I bit my lip. "Maria, I can't come with you. You're getting married. I'd be interfering in your new life. You really don't want me anywhere near you."

She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut across her. "It's okay, Maria, I understand! I'd be the same. I wouldn't want my kid sister in everyday of my life either."

"Bonnie!" She spoke loudly, shaking my shoulders. "I want you to come with us! Wayne wants you to come with us."

"Wayne? He's never even met me!"

"I've told him everything about you, Bon."

I didn't say anything. Of course, she would have had to tell him.

"I'm not coming with you, Maria."

"Bonnie, please! You have to!"

"No, Maria, I don't want to. Please listen to me. This is your life, and I've been interfering for long enough. What happens when you and Wayne want to have kids? You don't need to be looking after a new baby _and_ your almost-twenty-year-old sister!"

She glared at me, and I knew she wasn't giving in.

"Look, Maria, can we talk about this in the morning? It's just going to turn into a fight."

She sighed and hugged me again. "Alright. Night, Bonnie."

As I got into bed that night, I knew that I was _not _going to Washington. No matter what.

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4 Along came Bonnie

**Chapter Four - Bonnie**

I was going to Washington. And I was _furious_.

Maria married Wayne in Boston, our hometown, the place where Maria had grown up. I was Maid of Honour, and the one bridesmaid was her childhood friend Kathy. I was just relieved that I had _hair _for the occasion. My hair had grown out, though it wasn't the perfect blonde curls that Maria had, and that I'd had until I'd gotten chemo for the first time. I'd wanted to do something different for the wedding, so I dyed my pale blonde, wispy shoulder length hair magenta, to match my bridesmaid dress. Maria was not impressed. Dad sniggered behind his hands, but as soon as Maria turned to glare at him, his expression became stern, and he lectured me profusely.

Still though, it was a nice day. Wayne seemed like a nice enough guy - shy, and maybe a little nerdy, but obviously very in love with my sister, and that was good enough for me.

As soon as they were married, and they were back from their Italian honeymoon, they started to make plans for moving to Washington. They bought a four bedroomed house in Forks, the dreary sounding place that Wayne was from.

"See?" Maria had cooed, showing me the pictures of the red bricked, two storey house. "Isn't it beautiful?"

I had to admit, it did seem pretty nice.

"And look, Bonnie, two of the rooms are en-suite. This one can be yours!" Maria jabbed a finger at one of the upstairs bay windows.

"No." I said bluntly, shaking my head rapidly. "I am not coming."

"Bonnie -"

"Maria, it isn't up for discussion. I'm staying here." I gestured around our apartment.

"Oh yeah?" She got all mad, and stood up, her hands on her hips. Wayne, who was sitting at the round scrubbed table in our tiny kitchen, obviously smelled a row brewing, as he got up and left the room.

"Yeah!" I said, as defensive as she was mad.

"And how do you expect to pay the mortgage? And the bills, for that matter?"

I stood up too. "I have a job," I said, and the defence crept into my voice.

"Oh yeah, a job at Wal-Mart is really going to keep you going!" Her voice was laced with acid.

"Well, I was kind of too sick to be able to go to college, Maria! In case you forgot, while you were off swotting to become a _computer programmer_, I was getting drugs pumped into my body!"

Maria's face drained of all colour, and she took a step back, crashing into the refrigerator.

There was silence in the room for a full minute, and neither of us moved.

"Maria," I said, and my voice was far softer this time. "I'm sorry. I should never have -"

"No, Bonnie, you're right. I'm selfish, I am."

"What?!" I was shocked. "Maria, you're the least selfish person in the world!"

"No, Bonnie!" She dropped the notebook with all the pictures of the Forks house in it. They scattered across the floor of the kitchen in a brightly coloured cascade, and I watched them.

Maria continued."I _am _selfish. I'm leaving you here, all on your own, because of my own selfishness!"

"_Maria _-"

"NO, Bonnie! I'm your big sister, I'm _supposed _to look after you! I love you, and I _can't _leave you here!"

"You _can_, Maria! You can! I want you to be happy! You've spent nearly all your life looking after me, and now it's time for you to finally do something for yourself!"

She started to cry. She slid down the fridge and buried her head in her lap, bawling. I crouched down beside her, trying to comfort her.

"You don't understand, Bonnie!" She looked up at me, her hair mussed, her eyes red, mascara running down her cheeks. "I _need _you to come! You're my sister, and my best friend, and I _love _you! I need you to come with me! I'm actually that selfish, that I'm asking you to leave your friends and your life here in California, and to please _come with me_!" She was hysterical by now, and she started to hiccup loudly between her sobs.

"Maria, I don't -"

"Bonnie." She looked at me, her huge grey-green eyes brimming with tears. "Bonnie, you aren't listening to me."

I looked at her.

"I lost my mother. I practically lost my father. Numerous times, I came _this_ close to losing my sister. Please come with me. If not for your sake, for mine."

She had done it. She had played the card. The card that made me want to shrivel up and die, it made me feel so bad. She had played the card, and I was going to Washington.

***

And that was how, a month later, I was sitting in the back seat of Wayne's dark green Mercedes, a distinctly grumpy expression on my face. We arrived in Fork's after hours of driving.

I was right about the rain part, anyway.

Forks proved to be a tiny little town, miniscule in comparison to the urban sprawl that I was used to. The rain lashed down onto Wayne's car, making it hard for me to see, even though the windscreen wipers were working furiously.

I glared out the window, hating everything about the place. But when I saw the expression on my sister's face, I could hate it no more. She was _glowing. _Her eyes were bright in her tanned face, her mouth was curved up into a smile, and her left hand resting on Wayne's as he drove the car.

When we reached the house, she was even happier. I had to admit, the house _was _nice. My room was wide and spacious, it being the biggest bedroom I had ever had. In truth, I'd never lived in a house before, only various apartments.

I liked the house. No, I _loved _it.

My room was painted white, with pine floorboards that still had the scent of the forest on them. I lay on the floor on the first day there, and just inhaled the glorious scent of pine resin.

After lying on the floor for a half hour, I decided to do something about the bland white walls in my room before the moving vans came with my stuff. Without asking, I took Wayne's car and drove to the nearest hardware store, which turned out to be in some place called Port Angeles, which was a half an hour drive from Forks. When I was half way there, I got an angry call on my cell phone from Maria, wanting to know why I had stolen Wayne's car. When I explained I was only gone to get supplies, she calmed down. She was probably happy that she and Wayne had a couple of hours to relish in their newly-wed-ness.

When I got to the hardware store, I got a little excited. Using my cash bonus from Wal-Mart, I bought the large tins of paint, in purple, lime green and light blue. Then I bought dark wood shelves that would match my bed, for my colossal amount of books. I already had two large book cases, but they weren't big enough.

When I was done in the hardware store, I put the stuff I'd bought in the trunk of Wayne's car, and proceeded to wander around the picturesque town. I bought a couple of framed Van Gogh prints to hang on the walls in my room - Starry Starry Night, and Sunflowers. Then I went to McDonalds and had a Big Mac and a McFlurry before driving back to the house really slowly.

Wayne and Maria were getting set up in the kitchen. Maria was giggling loudly about something as they re-constructed our table, so I left them to it and went upstairs.

I had the best fun _ever _decorating my room. Basically, I just got the paint brushes, dipped them in the paints so that all the bristles were covered, and sort of _flicked _it all each wall in random places. The paint splattered all over the walls in an amazingly cool way. Sporadic, brightly coloured patterns danced across my once sparse walls, and I _loved _it.

When Maria came to investigate, she was shocked. "It looks like it was attacked by Barney the Dinosaur," She said, looking at my walls.

"It doesn't," I said. "Barney isn't blue."

She grinned at smacked me lightly across the head.

By the time the furniture arrived, it was almost eight o'clock. The movers carried my mahogany bed upstairs, and dumped it in the middle of the room, along with my book cases, chest of drawers and boxes and boxes of books and clothes.

"This sucks ass," I muttered, sitting on the empty frame of my bed and glaring out and the rain. With Maria's help, I shoved the mattress onto the bed. Then I made up the mattress and the duvet with the Pottery Barn bed clothes my Nana had bought me for my birthday. She bought a set every year. Same as she bought me Old Navy hats and Victoria's Secret pyjamas every Christmas. The baby pink covers kind of clashed with my vibrant walls, but I didn't care. I loved the colours. I pushed my bookshelves against a wall and started opening my boxes of books and shelving them. Then I folded my clothes into my chest of drawers. Slowly, as the room filled with my belongings, it began to look like home. I took out my art set and painted little hearts and flowers and birds on the wooden shelves I'd bought, and I hung them using and electric srewdriver I borrowed from ou eighty-two year old neighbour, Arnold. By the time I'd stacked them with some of my favourite novels, they looked great.

To my intense surprised, I began to settle into life in Forks. After being there for only three weeks, I was already starting to call it home. I loved spending hours wandering in the wet, green forests, or sometimes going up to the beach in the small Indian reservation that was a few miles from Forks. It was there, in La Push, that I found the vehicle of my dreams.

I was driving Wayne's Merc past this little garage in La Push when I saw it. It was a 1960's original model Volkswagen Hippy Van. And I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.

I pulled Wayne's car to a screeching stop and practically leapt out of it in a hurry to inspect the van. I walked up and down it for about five minutes, just loving every inch of it. It was painted yellow and was rusting slightly. The interior was old fashioned - it was evident that no work had been done on it since the eighties at least.

"D'you like it?" A loud voice interrupted my inspection. I looked up to find an incredibly tall Quileute man, in his mid-twenties or there abouts, grinning down at me.

"It's… I'm lost for words. Is it for sale?"

He laughed, a deep rumbling sound that was somehow childish and manly at all once. "You wanna buy this piece of crap when you're used to driving something like that?" He gestured towards the Mercedes.

I laughed dryly. "It's not mine."

"Thief."

"It's my brother-in-law's," I said to his grin, though grinning back.

"I'm no thief."

He laughed again, and I laughed too. "Well, you can buy it, no problem."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm serious. It's yours."

"How much?"

His eyes tightened, but his grin was still there. "We'll discuss that when all the work is finished."

"Work. Of course." There would be work involved, I'd expected that.

The mechanic, who introduced himself as Jacob, took my details and promised me that the van was mine. To reassure me, he took a Sharpie and wrote **BONNIE HENNESSY **in block capitals on a sheet of paper and stuck it in the window.

"Mine," I whispered as I drove home. "Mine, mine, mine."

To my surprise, even with all the work done on it, the van didn't cost that much. It was well within my price range anyway, though I still had to borrow from Maria. Which meant I had to get a job to pay her back.

"You got any jobs going here?" I asked Jacob the mechanic the day I went to pick up my glorious, canary yellow van.

"Jobs?" He raised an eyebrow. "What kinda jobs?"

"You know, _working _jobs." I let a little sarcasm leak into my voice.

"You wanna be a mechanic?" There was laughter in his voice, though his expression was serious.

"A mechanic?" I liked the sound of that. "Yes. I want to be a mechanic."

He looked at me, suspicion in his eyes.

"I _do_!" I said.

He laughed. "I like your determination. One sec." He walked across the garage work area to the tiny office.

"Hey, Seth!" He shouted in the door. "That slot for an apprentice still open?"

"You got a guy?" Who ever Seth was, he sounded surprised. "That spot's been open for ages."

"Not a guy, exactly." Jacob said, and he laughed. The guy, Seth, stepped out of the office. He was huge too. A little taller than Jacob, but leaner. His brown eyes were bright, and disbelief swept across his face as he took me in.

"A _girl_?"

"Yeah, a girl." Jacob replied.

Seth looked me up and down. "You got any experience with cars?"

I decided to give an honest answer. "Well, I can drive one."

He laughed. "You look pretty slight. You up for it?"

"I'm up for it," I said stubbornly.

Jacob and Seth exchanged glances.

"Well?" Jacob said.

"The girl has purple hair," Seth said, shrugging and smiling. "I say she's up for it."

Jacob smiled. "Okay, Bonnie Hennessy. You're in. Welcome to the life of a mechanic."

***

**Hey! I quite like this chapter.. it gave me more insight into Bonnie's character. You guys are probably getting really sick of this story, since the main two characters haven't even **_**met **_**yet! But I promise, I'm getting there. These things take time.**

**Anyway, please review (reviews are what keep me writing) and if you have any questions or anything, I promise I'll get back to you.**

**Love,**

**Lily **

**x**


	5. Chapter 5 True Love?

**CHAPTER FIVE**

To my surprise, I settled into life as a janitor with great ease. Sully and I became great friends - her slightly obscure sense of humour never failed to make me laugh. She was slightly weird, and had a desperate obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and all things paranormal. I would have loved to tell her I was a werewolf, purely to see the expression on her freckly face, but of course, that was completely out of the question.

My Mom's face always lit up whenever I mention Sully, and I knew she hoped that there would be romance somewhere along the line, but I didn't feel that way about Sully, and she definitely didn't feel that way about me. She was utterly in love with William, an ambulance driver who was probably the same age as me. Problem was, he just didn't realize that Sully even existed.

"Do you think he knows who I even _am_?" She sighed one day as we drank orange juice and ate cookies in the staff room on our break. William was sitting across the room, chatting to one of the nurses.

I shrugged, not really into chatting about love lives. "I'm sure he does," I said, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"Hmm.." Sully said, taking a mouthful of juice. "Isn't he just so cute? Look at the way his hair sits.."

I looked over at William and cleared my throat. "Er…"

Sully turned her attention back to me. "Don't you dare agree with me!" She said, grinning and spraying cookie crumbs everywhere.

"Well done!" I said sarcastically, standing up and wiping wet crumbs off my shirt.

"Sorry!" She said loudly, her brown eyes wide, her cheeks flushing with mortification.

"It's okay, it's not a big deal -"

"I am such a _klutz -_"

"Sully, shush!" People were starting to look over, she was talking so loud.

She glanced around the room to where William was. He was staring at her. Her face went even redder - something I wouldn't have thought was possible.

She sat down, picked up a magazine on disembowelments, and hid her furiously red face behind it.

I couldn't help bit grin, but I made sure not to let her see - she was upset enough as it was.

I finished my juice and glanced at my watch. "Sully, I think it's time we got back to work."

She didn't reply, but after a moment she put down her magazine. Her face was still very red, but was starting to return to its usual pale shade.

"You can take A&E and reception today," She said, standing up. "I already did the kids ward."

I shrugged my agreement, not letting my disappointment show. I loved working on the kids ward.

I took my mop and bucket from the Janitors closet and headed down to reception. I set up the "**caution - wet floor**" sign, and proceeded with my oh-so-fun job. As I slowly mopped the floor, I people watched. People watching is one good thing about working in a hospital.

I was able to watch the glowing first time grandparents, as they turned up laden with flowers and baby clothes, I was able to watch the worried big brother visiting his kid sister who just got her appendix out, I was able to watch people arriving to take home family members who were finally better again.

Of course, it wasn't always good… there were other people who were coming to say goodbye to long-ill parents and grandparents, people visiting family and friends, wondering if this was the last time they were going to see them alive…

If it was hard watching these people as just a janitor, I hated to imagine how the doctors must have felt. I knew that Carlisle, as a vampire, had seen many patients die, but I could see how each and every death affected him still.

I contemplated all this as I moved away from reception and began to mop the corridor outside the A&E department. Forks being Forks, it was thankfully never too busy in there. I finished in A&E, and slowly moved back along the corridor towards the reception area.

I felt strange, sort of calm, though almost on an edge at the same time, as though I was expecting something.

Mirabelle, the girl behind the desk in reception, kept flashing me these flirtatious little smiles. I felt so relaxed I accidentally grinned back, though I immediately felt bad after. Numerous other staff had told me that Mirabelle had the hots for me, but she definitely wasn't my type, and I didn't want to get her hopes up.

I continued to mop, watching with lazy interest and people came and went.

Once again, the door swung open and the small reception area filled with blustery breeze and rain. I didn't look up this time, as I was scrubbing a particularly stubborn sticky patch on the floor. A strange sensation started in my chest - a peculiar kind of prickling, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I leaned against the mop, and rubbed my chest. The prickling was spreading down my body, towards my legs. I stood up straight, and looked around reception. I exhaled suddenly and loudly, in a big gusty whoosh. The prickling was gone.

A girl was leaning over the reception desk, chatting to Mirabelle. This girl was the reason for the start of the prickling, and she was the reason for it stopping. Another strange feeling started in my chest. All at once, I wanted to laugh, to cry, and to fall to my knees and praise the world.

And still, the girl and Mirabelle talked. Then, the girl nodded and smiled at Mirabelle, and walked out into the parking lot. I dropped my mop and followed her, despite the fact that my shift hadn't finished.

The girl was crossing the parking lot, heading towards an impressive Volkswagen camper, that had obviously been done up very recently.

I watched her as she crossed, taking everything in.

She wasn't particularly tall - maybe about 5'5. She was slim but sort of sturdy looking, giving the impression that she was tough. Her hair was short and wispy-looking, and dyed a curious shade of purple. I ran across the lot at my most human pace, and called her.

"Hey!"

She turned around, and a warm feeling spread across me, sort of like I'd just sunk into a really hot bath.

"Yeah?" She said warily, her grey-green eyes narrowed.

I grinned at her like an idiot, marvelling at her soulful grey-green eyes, rosebud lips and button nose.

"I'm Collin," I said, still grinning.

"Bonnie," She said, looking at me like I was crazy. "Honoured."

She turned to get into her car.

"No, wait!" I said, an there was urgency in my voice.

She looked at me, impatience in her face. She brushed her pink fringe away from her face.

"Do you want to hang out sometime?"

She cockily raised her left eyebrow and flashed a grin that made me tingle inside.

"In your dreams, Collin."

And then she got into her car and drove away, taking my heart with her.

**Please R&R... :)**

**Love as always,**

**Lily x**


	6. Chapter 6 The Joys of the Working Life

**Chapter Six - Bonnie**

Since I had settled well into Forks, I decided to get back into some of the work I'd been doing before I'd left California.

I headed down to Forks general hospital, in the hopes that I'd be given permission to play my guitar on the kid's ward.

I drove my new van (which I totally _adored_) to the hospital, my wipers working furiously against the sleety rain.

Fork's general was a small brownstone building, with an arched roof and a tacky sort of sign above the A&E entrance, that read **FORK'S GENERAL**. I parked up my van and ran in the reception entrance of the hospital.

I was greeted by the horribly familiar scent of antiseptic. I kind of liked this hospital, though. It was a lot nicer than the industrial-type ones that I was used to.

The receptionist behind the desk had blonde hair that had been teased into an overly large quiff. She was wearing far too much make-up, and I could smell her perfume from a mile away, but she looked welcoming, none-the-less.

"Hey," I said, approaching the desk.

"Hello there," she said, smiling broadly and revealing her lipstick-stained teeth. I tried not to laugh.

"I'm just wondering about doing some community service in the hospital? See, I used to live in Los Angeles, and in the hospital there…" I explained the whole story to the receptionist.

She loved it. She loved the whole idea.

"Something like this has long been needed in Forks. I think it's really great that you're doing it."

I was kinda embarrassed, but pleased. "So will you mention it to someone?"

"Doctor Cullen is the overseer of the hospital, but I'm sure he'll think it's a fantastic idea. Do you mind if I take your number?"

I gave the woman, who introduced herself as Mirabelle, my cell number, and the number of Wayne and Maria's house. It was still weird for me to think of it as home. It was more like I was just a guest there.

I walked out of the hospital feeling pretty good about myself. As I crossed the lot towards my van, I heard a shout.

"Hey!"

I turned around, to see a really tall guy running across the lot towards me. My first instinct, as is natural when you see seven-foot men running across parking lots toward you, was to run.

The guy was tall and not typically handsome, but there was something attractive about his strong cheek bones and his floppy black hair. Well, he would have been attractive if it wasn't for the crazed look in large brown eyes.

"Yeah?" I said, my voice cautious.

"I'm Collin," He said.

"Bonnie," I said, on the verge of laughter. Who _was _this guy?! "Honoured." I turned to get into my van, hard as it was to tear my eyes away from his coppery skin.

"No, wait!" Collin said, and his tone was urgent. "Do you wanna hang out sometime?"

I wanted to say yes, I really did. But that bitchy part of me, the bit that had been fairly resident since I had first been diagnosed with cancer, lashed out. Instead of saying I would love to go out with him, I raised an eyebrow and smiled sceptically.

"In your dreams, Collin," I said, this irritatingly confident tone in my voice, and I got into the van. As I drove away, I regretted having turned him down. I could see him in the mirror, and he was standing in the middle of the parking lot, his shoulders slumped.

Damn, why'd I have to be such a cow all the time?! Why couldn't I have thought logically for a moment and said yes?

I was ashamed to admit it, but during my whole twenty years, I had never had a boyfriend. There had been kisses, sure, and plenty of them, but anytime any guy showed signs of real interest, I would run a mile the other direction. I had commitment issues, and I knew it. It was like after years of being in hospital, having my body at the mercy of so many people, that I wanted to keep my life and my body all to myself.

I wanted to travel the world alone, but I knew that that was completely out of the question. I might be better, but I still had a low immune system, and being weak (though I hated that word) was the reason I had to be so close to Maria all the time.

I loved Maria, I did, but I really wanted to live my own life.

It was noon, and I was feeling kinda hungry, so I drove back to Wayne and Maria's and made myself a ham and peanut butter sandwich. Ham and peanut butter, believe it or not, is the best sandwich combination in the world.

The house was dead quiet, what with Wayne and Maria being in work (Maria had managed to get a job at some computer firm in Port Angeles, and Wayne was commuting a ridiculous two and a half hours to Seattle everyday), which kind of creeped me out, so I didn't want to stay there too long. What I really missed was company. I missed my friends. I hadn't had many, but the ones I'd had were really great. Leanne and Kayla. I'd met both of them in hospital, though at different times, and we'd all just become really good friends. It's funny how stuff like chemotherapy can be the foundation for life-long friendships.

We'd kept in contact since we'd moved, but it wasn't the same. I missed their company, and it was part of the reason I was so cranky all the time.

At two o'clock, I headed to work. I _loved _working at the garage. It was the best thing about Forks. I'd been working there for about three weeks, and it was _the _coolest thing I'd ever done in my life. For someone who had known nothing about cars previously, I was doing pretty good. I could already fix minor engine problems, change oil, do basic stuff like that.

"Hey, Bonnie," Seth said as soon as I stepped into the garage.

"Hi, Seth," I grinned, inhaling the scent of gasoline. It had become one of my all time favourite smells.

"New car got dropped in this morning. It's got a faulty engine. Wanna take a look?"

"Sure," I said casually, but inside I wanted to scream. This was the first time I'd been asked to look at a car myself.

I grabbed the tools I needed and approached the car. It was pretty old, a maroon 1986 Ford Taurus with balding tyres. Seth started to work on one of the other cars in the garage. Jacob didn't work on Wednesdays.

We didn't talk, instead working silently, listening the low hum of the old wireless radio that rested on one of the workbenches.

At about half three, just as Seth and I were sitting in the office enjoying our tea break, a silver Land Rover pulled up outside. I stood up, wiping my hands on a rag, assuming that it was a customer.

A young woman walked into the office moments later, and Seth moved rapidly from his position next to the computer in his eagerness to greet her. He pulled her into a tight hug, and kissed her gently on the mouth. She laughed, kissed him on the cheek and pulled away.

I watched enviously for a moment. Something in Seth's eyes as he watched the woman scared me. They were in a world of their own, and Seth's expression was filled with a love so powerful that it was intimidating.

The woman was beautiful. She was probably about twenty five, and had long luxurious, curly chestnut hair that was thrown into a sloppy ponytail. She was tall, probably six foot, with a curvy figure - maybe a bit overweight, but it suited her completely. Hell, I would have killed for boobs like that. Her skin was almost porcelain, though her cheeks were rosy, and her large eyes were as blue as sapphires. She had a small mouth with full rosebud lips, and I noticed a single dimple in her left cheek when she turned to grin at me.

"Bonnie, this is my wife, Aoife." Seth said, still not taking his eyes off the woman.

"Hi, Bonnie, it's nice to meet you," The woman said, smiling broadly and stepping forward to shake my hand.

"You too… Ee-fah?" I said, not sure if I had heard her name correctly. I was scanning my brain rapidly, trying to remember if Seth had ever mentioned a wife. I didn't think he had, but he was a man, and men didn't usually shout information around.

"Aoife, right," She said smiling.

"Cool. Like the author? Aoife O'Grady?"

Aoife laughed, and so did Seth. Almost like a private joke between them. "Right, like the author." She grinned again. "I'll be right back."

Seth watched as she left, his mouth hanging open slightly, as if he had never seen her before. He excused himself, and went into the bathroom.

The woman, Aoife, was back in about a minute, carrying a baby carrier. She carried it into the office, and sat it on an empty chair. I peered into it from my seat on the edge of the desk. A tiny little baby looked up at me. It was dressed in a little yellow baby-gro, and I assumed it was a girl, due to the pink blanket covering it.

"Aww," I said. "What's her name?"

"Evanna," Aoife said, leaning in and kissing the baby on her forehead.

"She's cute," I mumbled. It was true. I wasn't exactly into babies or anything, but I had to admit she was sweet.

Her skin was sort of honey coloured, as if someone had added a dollop of butterscotch to cream. She had a sweet button nose, large blue eyes and a tuft of black hair.

"Thank you," Aoife said, now stroking the baby's little nose.

"How old is she?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Three months," She said, and she smiled at me as she leaned in to lift the baby from the carrier. She opened her mouth to say something else, but we were interrupted by Seth's return.

"You brought Evanna!" Seth said grinning.

Aoife nodded, and Seth cooed at the child in her arms. I felt slightly uncomfortable as I watched the family scene - It was like I was an intruder.

"Do you want to hold her?" Aoife asked, taking me by surprise. For the first time, I noticed she wasn't American - her accent was completely new to me.

"I - er - no. I mean, no thanks. I'm not good with kids," I said, backing away.

"Okay," Aoife said, and she handed the baby to Seth instead. It was weird to see this hugely tall guy holding this tiny baby, smiling at her and looking so _fatherly_.

"So, um, where are you from?" I asked Aoife, trying to make conversation.

"Ireland," Aoife replied. "The south east."

"Ireland? Really?" I was genuinely interested. I'd never actually met an Irish person before.

"Yup," Aoife said.

"That's really cool. I've never met anyone from Ireland before."

Aoife laughed. "And where are you from? I take it that you're not from around here?"

"Nope, I'm from Los Angeles. Well, Boston originally."

"Boston? Oh, I _love _Boston! I went to college there… I would have stayed there, except Seth's a real home bird." She laughed again, and lightly hit her husband on the arm.

"You did? That's really cool. What'd you study?"

"Literature. I'm a writer."

"You are?" I hesitated after a moment, and something occurred to me. "You aren't - I mean - what's your full name?"

Aoife suddenly looked embarrassed. "Eh -"

"She is who you're thinking of, Bonnie. The author." Seth interrupted. "Aoife O'Grady."

"No _way_!" I exclaimed, jumping back a step in my excitement. "I _love _your books! Oh my God! This is amazing, I can't believe it!"

Aoife looked mortified so I shut my mouth.

"I'm sorry, I -"

"No, no! I'm so happy to hear it!" Aoife interrupted. "I just still can't believe it that people actually recognize my name, and actually like what I write."

"_Like_?" I said in disbelief. "My sister and I, we _love _your books!"

"That's so great!" Aoife said, and she looked almost emotional. "What's your favourite?"

"_La Jaune Pavot*_, definitely! Though my sister doesn't agree, she loves _Grass Wars_."

Aoife grinned. "_La Jaune Pavot _was my favourite to write. I got to spend three months in France doing research, it was awesome."

"Wow." I was staring at this woman with my mouth hanging open slightly. She wasn't my _favourite _author, but she was a very close second - her writing was incredible. _La Jaune Pavot _was a completely heart wrenching story, it had me in tears every time I read it, and I was usually a tough person.

"If I give my books to Seth after work someday, will you sign them for me?" I blurted out. My face immediately flushed red with embarrassment - I hadn't meant to sound so… _lame_.

"I would love to sign them for you," Aoife said, and she looked truly chuffed.

"Thanks," I said. I opened my mouth to comment on her book, but I was cut short by a loud wail from Evanna. She was so tiny and quiet that I had completely forgotten about her.

"Uh oh.." Aoife said, taking her from Seth. "She's probably hungry, I better take her home."

"Aww, ok.." Seth said, and I felt as disappointed as he sounded.

"Bye, Bonnie," She said, reaching over to shake my hand. "It was great to meet you."

"You too," I said, still slightly gob smacked.

"See you later, Seth," She said, standing on her tip toes and kissing him goodbye.

"Bye, Aoife," He said, and she walked out the door, baby in one arm and baby carrier in the other.

"Wow," I said as soon as she was gone.

"Yup," Seth said. "Isn't she amazing?"

"I can't believe you never told me your wife was a best selling author!" I said, sounding indignant.

Seth shrugged, an amused expression on his face. "It's not something Aoife likes to shout around."

"What? Is she embarrassed or something?"

Seth shrugged again. "I dunno. Maybe."

"She shouldn't be. She's an incredible writer. Wait till I tell _Maria_!" I leaned over to pick up the phone that rested on the desk.

Seth laughed. "Breaks over, Bonnie. Back to work!"

I rolled my eyes. "You work me too hard."

Seth laughed again. "You love work."

"It's true," I replied, and I headed back into the garage. "I do."

Soon enough, the garage was silent. We were interrupted by the arrival of Brady, a Quileute guy who was about five years older than me, who worked part time in the garage.

To be honest, I kind of liked Brady. He was pretty good looking, and had a good sense of humour. He didn't really get my sarcastic ways, but he was cool. He was also abnormally tall - what _was _it with these guys? They were all at least seven foot.

"Collin will be over, Seth," He said, walking into the garage. "He's got a problem with his exhaust or something. I said we'd take a look."

"No problemo," Seth said, not looking up from where he was working. "How's he getting on anyway? It's been ages since we've had a -"

Brady suddenly had a loud coughing fit, and Seth, curiously enough, shut his mouth.

"He's doing good," Brady said. "He's working as janitor in the hospital."

"That's good," Seth said absently.

I furrowed my brow in thought. Collin. The name rang a bell. It couldn't possibly be -

"Hey, Seth, Brady." A miserable sounding, yet vaguely familiar voice echoed through the garage.

_Crap_!

"Collin! Man, what's up?" Seth sounded concerned. I rolled around the back of the car and sat there silently, hoping that Seth would forget that I was there so I could eavesdrop.

"I - I -"

"Hey, Bonnie?" Damn. Stupid Brady.

"Could you go into the office and check the mail?"

"Sure," I said, standing up.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the garage changed. As soon as I stood, Collin's eyes clapped onto me, and Seth and Brady exchanged shocked expressions. I stood cowering, as though caught in a crossfire.

"Er…" I muttered, not sure what to do. Collin was still staring at me.

"Bonnie?" Brady said suddenly, breaking the tension. "The mail?"

"Oh, sure," I said, my voice falsely cheery. "The mail. No problem." As I turned towards the office, I could still feel three sets of eyes on my back. As soon as I was inside the office, I could hear all three men break into urgent sounding chatter. I pressed my ear against the door, straining to hear them.

I thought about the expression on Collin's face as soon as he had seen me. He had looked relieved, excited, devastated and joyous all at once… what the hell did it mean? I didn't feel so hateful towards him anymore… in fact, whenever I though his name, a warm feeling spread through me, heating me all the way to the core.

Hell, what was _wrong _with me? I was _never _usually so soppy and stupid!

Suddenly, the door I was leaning against swung open and I fell out onto the dirty floor of the main garage.

Seth and Brady were looking down at me, bemused expressions on their faces.

"Bonnie," Seth said, looking abnormally serious. "We've got something to tell you…"

* * *

**FINALLY! I finally finished this chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long, people, but it's FINALLY finished! I will start work on chapter seven immediately and it will be up soon, providing I get a good response... you know what that means! Click the review button!**

**Two seconds of your time means so much to me, whether its good or bad! Please be honest, tell me what you think!**

**Thanks :D**

**Love always..**

**Lily! :D x**


	7. Chapter 7 Work sucks

**Chapter 7**

I scrambled up quickly, brushing the butt of my jeans, my face flushed red at the embarrassment of being caught.

"Er… I was just…"

"Eavesdropping, we know." Seth said, looking amused.

"We werewolves have good hearing, you know." Brady chipped in.

I laughed nervously, thinking that Brady had cracked some really lame joke. Seth and Brady stared back and me, their expressions completely serious.

"Um…" I started again. "So, uh, what'd you guys want to tell me?"

"You might want to sit down," Seth suggested. I glared at him. Was he implying that I was _weak_?

Apparently I _was_ weak. Because when I had listened to what Seth and Brady had to say, and had asked a few questions, I chucked the contents of my stomach all over the garage floor. Because what they told me was completely unbelievable. And if I didn't have an uncanny knack for knowing when people were lying to me, I would have laughed scornfully, but the sombre expressions on the faces of the two men in front of me were so honest, so _decent_, that I just had to believe them.

"So, you're telling me that _you _-" I pointed at Seth - "and _you _-" I pointed at Brady - "Are werewolves?"

Both nodded seriously.

"Are you fucking with me?"

There was no answer from them. And I knew then that they were telling the truth. And that was when I puked.

* * *

"So, explain all this to me again," I muttered, taking a sip from the glass of water Brady had handed to me. We were in the office. I was sitting on a plastic chair behind the desk, my head leaning against the window that looked outside. I felt awful. I could see Seth spreading sheets of newspaper on the floor where I had barfed. I felt kinda bad about that. Oh well.

Brady sighed and sat in the chair that sat in front of the desk. "Me, Seth and Collin are part of a werewolf pack, here in La Push. Oh, and Jacob too."

"Jacob too?" I repeated. "Is that why you're all so _big_?"

"Yeah," Brady said flatly. I was getting the impression that he didn't think much of me, but I honestly didn't care.

"And _why _are there werewolves?" I asked, for the third time.

"You _know _the answer," Brady said.

"I need to hear it again," I insisted.

"Because of the _vampires._" Brady said.

"Oh, the vampires, of course," I muttered sarcastically. "Now there's something you hear everyday."

Brady didn't say anything.

"Any why, again, are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because of Collin. I _told _you."

"Tell me again," I demanded like a spoiled child.

Seth came into the office, his nose scrunched with distaste.

"Sometimes having a great sense of smell isn't so good."

I just looked at him.

"Tell me," I repeated, turning back to Brady.

He openly glared at me, before standing up and stalking out of the office.

"What's his problem?" I muttered, frowning after him.

"Collin is his best friend," Seth explained, going into the bathroom to wash his hands, but leaving the door open. "And you're hurting him."

I exploded. "Hurting him? How?!"

"Look," Seth said heavily, coming out of the bathroom, and leaning against the doorframe. "We _explained _-"

"Explained? I know you explained! But in case you forgot, you just announced to me that werewolves and vampires are freaking _real_!" Except I didn't say freaking.

"Ok, relax! You're not being very cool about this!"

"Oh for _Christ _sake -"

"Right, Bonnie, _chill._" Seth strode over to where I was standing and placed his large hands on my shoulders. I was breathing heavily, and sincerely hoping that I wasn't going to vomit again.

"I'm sorry, I just -"

"It's okay, it's natural for you to be going to into shock."

That got to me. "I'm not going into shock! I'm just a little… surprised."

Seth sighed loudly and stepped away.

I swallowed, still trying to take it all in. "So… you're telling me that Collin is in -" I stopped and took a deep breath - " _love_, with me?"

Seth rubbed his chin. "Yeah. Well, it's kind of more than love."

"_Why_?"

Seth shrugged. "You're his soul mate."

I snorted. I didn't want to be anyone's soul mate. Especially not some supposed werewolf. No one could suddenly just decide that I belonged to them. I didn't belong to anyone. I was entirely my own self. _I _was the one who made decisions, and decided who to love. And _I _would make those choices myself, not have some infatuated werewolf make them for me. So there.

* * *

And yet, I couldn't get Collin out of my head…

It was my turn to make dinner, and as I chopped onions and peppers for stir-fry, my thoughts kept wandering to those big brown eyes, that floppy black hair, those high cheek bones and full lips…

Maria could tell there was something up, and kept pestering me. She eventually shut up, but only when Wayne told her to leave me alone.

I was really beginning to like Wayne. He was pretty cool, for a nerd.

After dinner, I moped around the house, not feeling at all like myself.

Maria started firing questions at me again, so eventually I went to bed, though I wasn't at all sleepy.

My mind was in a turmoil. I was trying to relax, be calm, but the day's events were running over and over again in my mind, like a bad TV station that had some old soap opera constantly on repeat. Even my body was acting strangely… I had a numb sort of ache in my abdomen, and it was kind of gradually spreading down my legs and up towards my chest. It wasn't like anything I had ever experienced before, and I had experienced a lot of unpleasant things. I wasn't frightened or anything, and it wasn't painful… it was just uncomfortable.

The next morning, I was absolutely in agony. Every bit of me was aching, calling out for an antidote. I knew exactly what that antidote was, but I absolutely did not want to face up to it.

I didn't want anything to _do _with Collin. But I was aching for him. The aches and pains in my body somehow made me stronger, believe it or not. They made it less likely for me to go looking for him. Giving in to my desires would be giving in completely, like a weakness, and I was _not _weak. I was being ridiculous, I knew it, but I just could not let myself give in.

I had a shower, got dressed and drove to work. Jacob was just opening up when I arrived.

"Hey," He said, almost coolly, when I arrived.

I hesitated in the doorway, wondering why he, too, was mad at me. I tried to ignore the awkward atmosphere, and got on with my work.

When Seth arrived, he told that the account books needed to be taken care of, and that it was my turn. I had absolutely no experience with accounting, and informed him of this fact, but he took no notice. He directed me towards the office, and after telling me where the books were, left the office, shutting the door behind him. This gave me a feeling that the reason I was being kicked out of the garage was so he and Jacob could talk.

I did the books quickly and quietly, a sullen expression on my face the entire time, though there was no one there to see it. It took almost the entire day, and by the time I was going home, I was in a severely bad mood, and the ache in my body had grown about four times worse.

I stalked out of the garage without saying goodbye to Seth or Jacob. They didn't call after me.

I got into my van feeling extremely disgruntled. I wanted to lean my head against the steering wheel and sob, which was something I never did. I started the engine, and began to drive. Just as I approached Forks, I noticed a hunched over figure walking along the roadside, shoulders slumped against the rain. Even though it was only my second time seeing him, I recognised Collin straight away. The second my eyes clapped onto him, the ache lifted from my chest and I felt free - more free than I had ever felt in my life. As I passed Collin, he looked up. A range of emotions flickered across his face - shock, surprise, upset, anger, and something that was vaguely familiar to me. It was an expression I remembered on my father's face when he used to look at my mother, and it was an expression I saw exchanged daily between Maria and Wayne.

It was love.

* * *

**Please review! Reviews make me want to write.. so the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll be able to update! :D**

**Love you guys, and hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**Lily x**


	8. Chapter 8 The voice of the Object

**I'm seriously starting to enjoy writing this story... I love it! Hope you like this chapter! Please review, and thanks so much for all the great ones I've gotten so far... They're AWESOME!**

**Here you go, Chapter Eight :)**

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**Chapter 8**

"Seth, will you just shut up for a minute? I'm trying to think." I put my head into my hands.

Seth didn't shut up. "I'm just saying, Col, that it might be a good idea for you to -"

"Seth!" It was Jacob who spoke this time. "Seriously, shut _up_!"

Seth held up his hands and took a step back. "Sorry, sorry…"

I groaned loudly, and Seth opened his mouth again. There was a loud smack as Jacob hit Seth on the upper arm.

"Yeowch!" Seth said, aiming a kick at Jake's shin. A childish scuffle immediately broke out between the two. A second later, I stood up and walked out of the garage.

"Now look what you did," I heard Jacob mutter darkly.

"Don't follow me," I called back. "I don't want to talk about it."

I didn't have my car. It was about half six, and I'd walked from Forks to La Push, to the garage. Well, ran really, but I walked part of the way. No point in wasting fuel when you had legs that worked the way mine did. It had been a waste of time, anyway - Seth and Jacob had been no help at all. The only thing they'd done was unconscously rubbed in the fact that they're objects actually wanted them.

There was no way I was going home. I so did not need my mother pestering me constantly. She knew something was up, but I just didn't want to talk about it.

I felt like I was dying. Actually, I probably would have felt better if I _was _dying. My body was fine - in fact it was better that that, it was _perfect _- but my mind and soul felt like they were shrivelling up slowly and painfully. It was only one day since I had met Bonnie, and yes she had changed my life, but so far (and I remind you that this is only about thirty hours) the changes hadn't been at all good.

I was already attached to this girl in an extremely rare way, and there was nothing she or I could do about it. Yes, I was already in love with her - I _needed _her - but to be quite honest, _she_ didn't need _me_. Yes, I was perfect for her in every aspect, but I wasn't necessary for her to survive. And most important, she didn't want me…

I dwelled on this fact, feeling the fissure in my heart spreading.

I saw a car coming up the road in front of me, heading for La Push, and I moved closer to the rocky edge of the cliff, out of its path. To my surprise, the car slowed and came to a stop beside me. I squinted through the rain, trying to identify the driver. I recognised the silver Land Rover, though because of the fog in my brain, I couldn't place who owned it.

The driver's window rolled down slowly, and a head leaned out. Through the rain, that was now coming down in sleety sheets, I could see two big blue eyes and a mass of curly mahogany hair.

"Aoife?" I mumbled.

She obviously didn't hear me. "Collin, get in the car!" She yelled over the sound of rain and waves crashing against the rocks below us.

I opened my mouth to argue, but decided against it. I opened the door of the silver car and clambered in.

Aoife started to drive, and neither of us spoke. Seth and Aoife's baby, Evanna, stared up at me large unblinking eyes. They were the exact same colour as Aoife's, a deep and clear, and startlingly blue. I looked at her for a moment. It was the first time I had really seen her. She was tiny, with a shock of black curls covering her little head. Her skin was a soft golden butterscotch, like someone had added a helping of cream to Seth's russet. And I suppose, that's exactly what it was. The baby yawned, and a single dimple appeared in her left cheek. I tried to smile at her, but I just couldn't do it.

Aoife was silent the entire way back towards La Push, and I was beginning to wonder why she had even bothered asking me into her car. She drove through the village, heading out past First Beach and towards the North Forest. Aoife took a turn away from the coastal road, and began driving up a small narrow laneway, before she eventually pulled up outside a large two storey stone cottage. I blinked sleepily at the house, before remembering why it looked familiar. Of course, this was Seth and Aoife's. They had bought the land off old Mrs Uley, and the ruins of an old cottage came with it. I remembered them having the cottage extended and renovated, but I hadn't actually seen it, even though they'd been living there for almost a year.

I was very familiar with the North Forest, and the land on which the house was situated. In the early days of my being a werewolf, I would run constantly with Brady, and we had spent a lot of time up around this part of the forest, where people hardly ever came, due to the lack of trails.

"I forgot you live here now," I mumbled, feeling like an idiot immediately after.

Aoife didn't hear me; she had gotten out of the car and had run to open the pillar-box red front door of the house. She came running back, and wrenched open the car door, her jacket hood pulled up over her head.

"Quick, Collin, go in before you get wet!" She yelled over the torrential rain.

I obeyed her, and then stood in the porch, feeling like a tool as she struggled to get her baby and her shopping out of the car. I ran to help her, and she flashed me a grateful smile.

By the time we managed to get everything into the stone-flagged hallway, both of us were drenched, and Evanna was screaming her head off. Who would have thought such a tiny little thing could make so much noise?

Aoife directed me to the small downstairs bathroom, where I was able to dry off. I didn't realize, but I must have taken ages, because by the time I entered the warm kitchen, Aoife was sitting, completely dry and changed, a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

"Where's the baby gone?" I asked.

"Sleeping," Aoife replied cheerfully.

"Oh…" I said, somewhat lamely.

"Tea or coffee?" Aoife asked, getting up and putting on the kettle. I noted that it was an old fashioned one, that sat on a gas hob on the cooker, as opposed to an electric one. That was so Aoife.

"Um… Coffee, please," I said, pulling out a heavy kitchen chair and sitting at the rustic pine table.

The kitchen was again silent. Aoife and Seth's old Springer Spaniel, Nev, came ambling over and rested his heavy head on my knee. I rubbed him gently.

"Thanks," I mumbled as Aoife set a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, along with a jug of milk, a sugar pot and an open packet of Oreos. I helped myself to one, and chewed it slowly, not really tasting anything.

Aoife took a mouthful of coffee, and watched me as I did the same, pity in her sapphire eyes.

"Why won't she talk to me? Does she hate me?" I blurted the questions out so quickly that I barely had time to acknowledge the fact that I had actually spoken.

Aoife looked startled, and then pensive. "No, Collin, she doesn't hate you. Far from it, in fact."

"Then why won't she speak to me? Aren't imprints supposed to fall for each other straight away? One true love, and all that crap?"

"Col, don't judge imprint behaviour by me. I fell for Seth straight away because I was longing for that sense of security, the love he would bring. I was only sixteen, yes, but I knew what I wanted, and that was Seth. I was always the girl who would eventually want, _need, _a man to love her. But that's not saying that I wasn't stubborn. There were times when I resented Seth, no matter how much I loved him."

"Resented him?" I was confused. "How so?"

Aoife sighed, and looked into the depths of her coffee mug. "I was always a free spirit. I always wanted to travel and to live my life the way I wanted."

"But -"

"I _know _it sounds like I'm contradicting myself. I wanted everything that Seth offered but - and I hate how conceited and self-centred this sounds - but he came too early. I wanted time to - to _live _first, I suppose."

"I don't understand," I mumbled. "Aren't you living now?"

"Nah, I guess you wouldn't understand. And yeah, of course I'm living now, and I _love _my life, but... I'll put it like this. I wanted to travel the world, to spend years abroad living in different countries and different societies. I still did it, and Seth came with me, but it was as though our time was limited - I didn't get to spend as long travelling as I would have liked. I mean, if it was entirely up to me, I'd probably still be out in Africa somewhere." She hesitated before continuing. "But that's not to say that I would _ever _swap Seth or Evanna for _anything _else. I love them both so, so much."

"But _Bonnie _- I mean, _why_? Why can't she just…" I trailed off, and to my embarrassment, my eyes had started to water.

Aoife was silent for a moment, and I looked up to see her biting her bottom lip. "I've only met her once, but from what I can gather, Bonnie is an extraordinarily independent girl. She doesn't seem willing to give up what she has, or to share her life with anyone else. And it's incredibly selfish of her, but she's hurting too, I know she is. But that just shows how stubborn she is!"

I let out a sound that was a cross between derisive snort and a dry sob.

Aoife leaned across the table and rested her left hand on my right one.

"It'll be okay, Collin. She'll come round eventually. I mean, look at Sam and Emily? She tried to deny her feelings for him after what happened with him and Leah, but she just couldn't stay away. And Bonnie will be the exact same."

I nodded, not trusting myself to talk. I looked at Aoife's fingers resting on mine, and imagined for the briefest of moments that she was Bonnie, that she had finally come around. But the engagement and wedding rings that sparkled on Aoife's ring finger denied that dream.

A loud cry interrupted the soft silence and I jumped. The sound was coming from a baby monitor that rested on the kitchen counter.

"Evanna…" Aoife groaned. "Why can't she just stay asleep for more than a half an hour? I'm sorry, Collin - " She got up and left the room, forgetting to turn off the monitor.

I sat and listened as she entered the room, and smiled sadly to myself as I heard her speaking softly to her baby. The crying had stopped as soon as she entered the room.

I wondered if Bonnie would ever really come around. I hoped, if she did, that it would be really soon, because this was really killing me. Especially being in Seth and Aoife's house, because everywhere around me were signs of their love and happiness. Framed photographs covered the walls, photos of Aoife and Seth's wedding day, photos of Aoife and her friends, photos of Evanna, pictures of Seth and Aoife as children. Seeing all these things, these physical objects of their love, and indeed, hearing the very words from Aoife's mouth, let me know something. Bonnie really did need me.

I had heard everything I needed to hear, and the rain was starting to ease off. I was going to speak to Bonnie Hennessy, whether she liked it or not.

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**Ta-da! Hope you enjoyed it :) **

**Someone asked me in a review why I like writing from different points of view so much. The honest truth is that by writing through the eyes of different characters, I can get to know them better. It sounds lame, but I feel like I know characters like Aoife and Seth inside out, because through Cloudless Sky, I got the opportunity to devolop them. I guess I'm still in the development stages of Bonnie and Collin, but I'm really beginning to like them :) Hope you like them too! Let me know in a review!**

**Love always,**

**Lily! :D**


	9. Chapter 9 But Why?

**Chapter Nine**

My eyes were glued to the TV screen, though I wasn't really seeing anything. Whatever was on was obviously funny, because every few minutes, Wayne or Maria would burst into laughter, stirring me from my daydreams. Or day _mares_, they might more appropriately have been called. They weren't scary exactly, more painful than anything. Because the face that haunted the "day mares" was Collin's, and I didn't want to think about him. More than anything, I wanted to go to bed, but Wayne and Maria would be really suspicious if I announced I was turning in for the night at just seven thirty.

I sat for a few minutes, trying to think of an excuse for me to leave the room. It was ages before I came up with anything that was even half believable.

"Hey, uh - Maria? I've got a headache…"

Maria, who had been lying horizontally across the sofa with her head on Wayne's lap, sat up so fast it was a miracle she didn't break her neck.

"What? Oh God, are you okay?"

Wayne tore his eyes away from the TV to look at me. His expression was kind of scared, almost apprehensive, as if he was afraid that I might explode or something. I briefly wondered why.

Maria got off the sofa completely and came over to the armchair where I was sitting. She clamped her hand to my forehead.

"Maria!" I said, squirming away from her. "I'm fine! I was just going to say that I'm going to get some fresh air!"

"But it could be -"

"Maria it's _not _cancer! Jeez, it's just a headache!"

Maria looked a little taken aback. "Of course it is… I'm sorry, honey, I just…"

"I know, I know." I knew I was being crabby, but I couldn't help it. "I'm fine, okay? I'm going for a walk."

"Do - d'you want me to come with you?"

"No." I said shortly, before walking out of the room. I pulled on my rain coat and a pair of yellow galoshes I had picked up cheap at Sears. I had bought them in LA, in preparation for rainy Forks. They had been well worth the seven dollars I had paid for them.

I stepped out into the drizzling rain, not even bothering to pull up my hood. What was the point? I was going to get wet anyway. I began to trudge slowly along the road, heading towards the centre of Forks. It was already dark, even though it was May, and I wasn't exactly keen on heading into the forest on my own, no matter how brave I usually was. A streetlamp flickered dimly in the distance, and it was the only light from all around. God, Forks was so _lame_. There really was nothing in it at all. If it wasn't for the garage, I probably would have had to kill myself by now.

As I wandered along, I suddenly froze. The hairs on the back of my neck were slowly rising and goose pimples were forming on my skin. I was being watched. I started to walk again, quicker this time, trying to get further into the centre of Forks, where it would feel safer. Not that I couldn't defend myself or anything. Because if I needed to, I _could_.

"Bonnie." The voice that called my name was familiar, though I still leaped a mile high. As soon as I heard it, the tightness in my chest disappeared, and a sense of relief filled it instead.

"Collin." My voice was venomous as I turned around. "What do you want?"

His expression was stony, though I couldn't pull my focus away from his eyes. They were the same colour as melted milk chocolate, though the pain, and something that resembled betrayal, that was behind them was heartbreaking.

"I want to speak to you," He said, clearly and loudly. His voice was monotone, his words chosen carefully.

"About what?" I asked.

God, I knew how rude I was being but I just couldn't help it. I _hated _myself when I got like this.

"About us." He said.

I snorted, hating myself as I did so. "There is no _us_." I realized that I sounded like something out of some dramatic soap opera.

Collin shook his head. "Maybe not now. But you can't hold back for long… I know you're hurting as much as I am." His voice broke monotone for just one minute, just on the last word, and that humane sound tugged at my heart like nothing I'd ever felt before. What was _wrong _with me? Why couldn't I just give in? Why did I always have to be so stubborn, even to myself?

"I'm fine," I said coldly, and I turned to walk away.

He grabbed my hand as I turned, and his touch sent my senses into overdrive. My skin tingled as electricity passed between us, and a sudden heat, like nothing I had ever felt before, washed over me, as if I just sank into a hot bath, but even _better_. I could smell him, something like warmth and cinnamon toast. My eyes locked onto Collin's and the heat between us intensified. His careful expression softened and for such a huge man, he looked vulnerable, child-like. His bottom lip was trembling and his hair was sticking up all over the place, like he'd been running his hands through it. Which, I reminded myself, he probably had been.

"Please," He said. "Please, Bonnie."

It took every ounce of bitchiness, stubbornness and determination that resided in my body to pull my hand from his and walk away, but because I was a selfish cow, I managed just fine.

Oh God, how I wished I was dead.

I deserved to die.

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**Collin's POV**

"She hates me. She actually _hates _me." I could hear the despair in my voice.

"Col, man, she doesn't hate you. She's just… it's the shock. It's not every day that a girl finds out that her soul mate is a werewolf."

I glared at Brady. "Aoife, Emily, Kim, Renesmee, Claire and Becca managed just fine."

Brady was silent for a minute, and I knew him well enough to think that he was just devising a good answer. And I was right.

"Yeah, well, Emily didn't give in for ages, remember? And Kim had no problemo with it because she'd been _crazy _about Jared for like, three years! And come on… you know full well that Nessie and Claire were just kids when Jake and Quil imprinted. It's not like they were going to _reject _that much attention and affection. With Becca, she'd known Taylor since, like, forever, it was kind of natural. And Aoife… well, Aoife is Aoife. The one with the wild imagination and all that… she wasn't shocked at all."

I was quiet for a moment as I registered all this. I drained my beer and cracked open another before replying.

"I guess… but it's just not natural! Like, what is her problem? Doesn't she get what I'm _offering _her?"

Brady shook his head and shrugged. "See, Col, that's just the thing! She _doesn't _understand! She's from like, Florida, right?"

"Los Angeles. Though Boston originally."

Brady raised his eyebrows. "She told you that?"

"Nope. She told _Seth_, after she had to fill out forms when she applied for the apprenticeship."

"Oh. Okay, well, LA, then. In LA, it's sunny, right?"

"Yeah."

"So they don't have vampires. Or werewolves, cause there aren't any forests out there either."

"Well, there's forests in California."

"But not in Hollywood, dah-ling."

I snorted, despite myself. "Brady, don't ever say that again."

"Okay, sorry…" Brady said, laughing too. "Now, no forests in Hollywood."

"Okay, no forests," I agreed.

"So that means, like I said, no werewolves, and no vampires. Which means no chance of her ever being imprinted on. So then, she comes to Forks - why did she come here by the way?"

"Her sister married Wayne Weber."

"Who?"

"You know, Pastor Weber's nephew?"

"Oh, yeah… Where was I?"

"Something about… "And then she comes to Forks"," I said.

"Oh, yeah. So then she comes to Forks, she suddenly finds out that vampires are real, and that a psycho werewolfguy has decided that he's hers for all eternity."

"The same thing happened to Aoife, practically, and she didn't freak."

Brady glared at me. "Oh, jesus, Collin. I don't know. Maybe Bonnie has things in her past that Aoife never had. Maybe she's had a crappier life. Come on, you know that's Aoife's life has been pretty good. Maybe it was just easier for her to accept that a man could truly want to be with her for the rest of his life."

I raised my head slowly and looked at Brady, something dawning on me as the words left his mouth. He was _right_. Maybe Bonnie had a troubled past, something that had left her strong, fiercely independent and practically untouchable. Something that made her scared to make a commitment.

Or maybe not. Maybe I was just trying to find excuses so I could make myself feel better about her not wanting me.

But there was only one way I could find out.

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**Sorry it's so short! Thank you SO much for all your reviews! A particularly big thanks to Sparkly-Vampire-Girl and NikkiTBH (though I think she's changed her screen name, sorry Nikki!) who's reviews truly are EXCELLENT! They give me such a confidence boost, it's unreal! So thankyou girlies! And thank you to everyone else too.. every little helps! ;)**

**So please review and I will be eternally grateful! :D**

**Love alwayssss :)**

**Lily **

**x**


	10. Chapter 10 Giving In

**Chapter Ten**

_It was hot, but not so hot that it was unbearable. The air smelled of clean sweat and something I couldn't identify. Sunlight was filtering through the thin linen curtains that framed the window of the room I was in. The sheets on the double bed I was stretched across were rumpled, half of them on the floor._

_I felt so complete, and happier than I had felt since… well, since ever. I was completely naked, but I didn't feel at all self-conscious. I ran my hands over my bare skin, my stomach, my thighs, my breasts. My skin was smooth and scar-free, and the sun made it look porcelain. My short hair was spread in a mini halo across the pillow my head rested on. I sat up slowly, and as I did, I realized what the unknown scent was. Sex. I knew this, because lying next to me was Collin. And he was naked except for a sheet draped across his midriff. As I watched him, I felt overwhelmed with an emotion I had never felt before. And as I watched, the light pouring in from the window began to fade. The room darkened gradually, until I could see nothing._

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When I woke, I was panting. My hair was sticking up all over the place, sweat was pouring off me, though I was freezing, and my heart was beating faster than it had ever beat before. My throat was so dry that I could barely breathe. Every muscle in my body ached, and then I knew.

I couldn't take it anymore. I was going to have to give in. Yes, Collin was a werewolf. Yes, I didn't know him. And yes, I loved him.

I had never been through such agony in my life. Even goddamn cancer beat this feeling. I knew what it felt like to be dying, and I knew it was better than this.

I threw off my quilt, and leaned over, feeling around on the floor for my socks, where I had thrown them before getting into bed. When they were on (I had a thing about walking around in bare feet, probably something to do with spending so much time in hospital) I shuffled across the room and switched on the light. My room looked exactly as it had before, but it felt strange. I felt strange. I rummaged around in my dresser, trying to find a pair of jeans. Just as I pulled on a sweater, I glanced at the clock I'd hung on the wall. It was just after four a.m.

Since even attempting to brush my teeth in the bathroom would have disturbed Wayne and Maria, I had to make do with a couple of cherry flavoured Pez, from the Harry Potter dispenser Dad had given me for my fifteenth birthday as a joke. My short hair was a mess, but I didn't really care.

I tip-toed down the stairs, trying to be as silent as possible. I had left my van keys on the hall table, and grabbed them as I snuck out the back door. The front door was right beneath Wayne and Maria's room - it wouldn't be smart to use it.

I got into my van, praying that the engine would be too noisy. To my intense relief, it started smoothly.

I drove in the direction of La Push, but I was being ridiculous. I had no clue where Collin lived. In fact, I had no clue where Jacob or Seth lived either. The best place for me to try was the garage. Maybe they'd have Collin on record there, or _something_.

I got there in record time, and was soon parked outside the garage, my head against the steering wheel, wondering where the hell I was supposed to go next. I tried to get into the garage, but it was completely impossible. I gave up and returned to my van.

I didn't realize it, but I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, it seemed to be early morning. From where I was lying across the seat of the van, I could tell it was still dark outside. My heart was beating loudly, and I wondered what had woken me up. Then I heard it again.

"Bonnie?" The sound of my name was muffled. I sat up, hoping it was Collin. Of course, I knew that it wasn't because the sound of the voice calling me delivered no relief. I sat up and peered out the window into the darkness. Two large brown eyes looked back at me. It was Brady.

"Brady?" I leaned over and opened the passenger door of the van. Brady slid in. "What are you doing here so early? And what time is it?"

"I could ask you the same thing," He muttered, rubbing his forehead. "And it's just after six."

"A.M?" I questioned.

"Duh."

"Sorry…" I muttered. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. There's an early delivery of parts. And Jake gave me the wonderful job of signing for it."

"Hate that," I muttered, not really listening. The ache was already growing stronger, even though I was groggy due to just waking up.

"Don't worry, you'll get your turn."

"I look forward to it."

"So what are you doing here?" He asked in turn.

I sighed. I was really going to go through with this. I was really giving in. I tried for a minute to think of an excuse, but the honest to God truth was that I just couldn't take the pain any more. It was agony.

"Well?" Brady interrupted my thinking.

"I was… I was looking for Collin." It was the first time I'd said his name without sarcasm or contempt.

Brady froze for a minute, before turning to glare at me. "Why?"

"Because… because…" I stopped. I wasn't actually sure why. "I guess I need to tell him that…"

"That what? That you're going to break his heart?" The words Brady spoke were cheesy but they didn't sound that way coming from him.

"No!" I said. "No. I want to tell him that I'm… that I'm sorry."

Brady's dark eyes were narrowed suspiciously.

"I can't take it anymore! Maybe you wouldn't think it, but this hurts me too!"

"Oh, so it's just about yourself, then? It's not about helping Collin at all?"

"What? No!" But I was lying. It really was about me. But then again, everything always was.

"What is with you?" Brady said, spitting out the words as though they were poisonous. "Are you really that much of a selfish bitch?"

I hesitated before answering. "Yes, Brady. I think I am."

He was silent. He obviously hadn't been expecting that kind of a response.

"You think I like the way I am? You think that I actually enjoy treating people like dirt?"

"Why do you do it, then?" He asked.

I banged my head against the steering wheel. "Fuck, I don't know. Because I'm a psychotic cow, I guess."

Brady was silent once more. He wasn't disagreeing, I noticed, but then again, I hadn't expected him to.

"Tell me where Collin lives. I really need to talk to him." It was an order, and there was no respect in my voice.

"Why should I?" Brady responded angrily.

"Because -" But before I could continue, a large truck with **_Michelin Auto Parts_** written on the side pulled up outside the garage. Brady got out of the van without so much as another glance towards me, and headed towards the garage.

I sat for a few moments, watching as Brady signed a clipboard and then, along with the delivery man, carried boxes of parts into the garage. Brady didn't exit, but as soon as the delivery man was gone, I went inside.

Brady was shifting the boxes into the large store room behind the work space. I stepped forward to help him.

"You don't need to do that," He said loudly. "You aren't being paid for it."

I recoiled slightly. "I know that. I want to help."

He shrugged and we were both silent as we moved all the boxes. As we left the garage and Brady turned to lock up, I grabbed onto his sleeve.

"Please, Brady." My tone was begging. "Please tell me where Collin lives."

"Can't it wait till the morning?" He pulled his arm away from me, distaste on his face. I couldn't blame him for the way he looked at me.

"It _is_ the morning. And I don't think I can wait any longer." My voice was quiet now. I was telling the truth, one hundred percent.

"If I tell you… and you - if you hurt him, I swear to God -"

"I won't!" My voice lost all the poor-little-girl-lost tones, and I was becoming defensive. "What's with you? Are you like, in love with him or something?"

He frowned at me. "No. But he's my best friend. He has been since we were four years old. And I've never seen him suffer the way he has since he met you."

The emotion and the sincerity in his voice and expression stirred something inside me.

"I'm sorry, Brady. I never meant to hurt him either, you know!" Of course, I couldn't just apologize, like a normal person. There always had to be a defensive note in it.

"Hmm…" Brady was silent for a minute, then he began to stride over towards his car. I had a mini panic attack, thinking he was leaving, but he was back in a matter of seconds, with a piece of paper and a stubby pencil in his hand. He scribbled an address and directions in his nearly undecipherable writing, and left. He didn't utter another word, but his eyes said everything.

I stood motionless, watching his car drive away, before I read the bit of paper he had handed me. The directions were simple enough. I just had to head back into La Push, take the left turn that was directly across from the general store, and drive for half a mile until I came to little stone cottage.

I parked up my van, got out and stood for about ten minutes, just looking at the small house in which Collin resided.

A small sign was attached to the mailbox, reading Whitethorn. Jeez, I hadn't even known his second name. In fact, I didn't know anything about him. I didn't know whether he had brothers or sisters, I didn't know what his mother's name was, or his fathers, I didn't know his age, even. The only thing I knew for certain was his first name. And the fact that he was a werewolf…

I stood gazing at the house, wondering what I should do. It was completely silent, except for my breathing, and even thudding of my heart, and the occasional crow of a bird in the distance. I wasn't even nervous. I just didn't know what to do. I took a step forward, and pushed open the red painted gate. I took another step, and my feet crunched onto a gravel path that lead up to the red front door. I took another step. For some reason I broke into a run, and suddenly I was right on the doorstep. The distance between the gate and the door was only about ten foot, but my heart was thudding out of control, and I was gasping for breath. I lifted a hand, and my finger hovered over the doorbell. What if this was his family home? What if he still lived with his mom and dad, and his brothers and sisters, if he had any? What should I do?

It turned out that I didn't have to make the decision myself, because the red door slowly opened and I found myself staring into the hazel eyes of Collin Whitethorn.

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**Hope you all liked it :) Please review! And be honest.. tell me exactly what you think of it! I'm almost at thirty reviews.. and more reviews makes me update sooner! :D**

**Thanks guys!**

**Love,**

**Lily :D**


	11. Chapter 11 Working it Out?

**Chapter 11**

"_Bonnie_?" My voice was incredulous. I tore my eyes away from her contorted face and glanced at my watch. It was barely seven am!

"Hey, Collin." She was so close to me that I could hear her heart beat, smell her breath. She smelled like sleep, and warmth and cherry flavoured Pez, and her pink hair was sticking up all over the place. Her grey green eyes were squinting as she looked up at me, and her nose was wrinkled.

My mind was reeling. "What are you doing here?" I asked dully. I inhaled without smelling - the scent of her hurt.

"I came to talk to you. And to say that…"

"That what?"

She shivered suddenly, violently, and I noticed how pale she was.

"Oh, man. You're going to freeze out there. Do you want to come in?"

"I - no. I mean, no thanks. Could we - could we go for a walk or something?" She looked nervous. In fact, she looked more human than I had ever seen her before.

"Sure." I spoke casually, though my heart was leaping. What was she going to tell me? That she was giving in? I doubted it…

That she really wanted me to just leave her alone? I didn't know if I could do it…

"I'll drive." She turned away from me and strode down the path towards her van. I followed her, pulling on a pair of battered trainers as I did.

"Where are we going?" I asked her, breathing through my mouth so I didn't have to smell her.

"The beach." She replied, not looking at me.

I didn't say anything, but I got into the passenger seat of her van. She started the engine.

It was cold, my nose began to run, and I sniffed accidentally. A familiar smell greeted me - far too familiar, in fact. The earthy forest-and-pop-tart smell of my best friend.

"Was Brady in here with you?" A fury began to bubble in my chest. What was Brady doing in here? With _her_?

"Yes." She said bluntly.

"_Why_?" I sounded furious.

"We were talking."

_Talking_. Okay. Well, talking was okay. _Sweet Jesus, Collin. Talk about an over-reaction._

There wasn't another word spoken between us the whole way to the beach. I kept thinking of questions to ask her, but using all the self control I possessed, I managed to stop myself.

Bonnie stepped out of her van after she pulled to a stop at the entrance to First Beach. She slammed the door after herself and stormed in the direction of the strand.

I watched her for a few moments, until she was out of my view. Then I ran after her. She was standing on the edge of the shore, staring out at the horizon. I watched her slight frame, silhouetted against the grey sky. I didn't approach her - it was obvious she was thinking. Instead, I sat myself on the bleached white tree trunk that had been practically cemented into the sand for years.

The sun was attempting to rise over the sea, but the clouds and the raucous turmoil of the waves stopped it. I sat quietly, wondering how many serious conversations had taken place on this log. There had to have been a few - I had a feeling that this log had something to do with Jacob Black and the awkward relationship he had shared with Bella Swan before she became... how should I put it... a Cullen.

Bonnie stood and watched the ocean for a few minutes before she sighed loudly, and came to sit next to me.

Her thigh was barely touched mine as she sat. I inhaled sharply. This was the closest she had even been to me.

"What did you want to say to me?" My voice was barely a whisper.

She said nothing for a moment. She was looking at her hands, gently pressing the pads of her fingers against each other, in a classic Mr Burns pose.

"I wanted to say…" She stopped and swallowed. "I wanted to apologize. And I want you to know that I have _never _said sorry before, and truly, honestly meant it. So you oughta feel privileged. So… I'm sorry."

I just stared at her. "You're… sorry?"

She glared at me. "You want me to repeat it?"

I shook my head. "I'm just… confused. What are you sorry for?"

She narrowed her eyes, as though she thought it was a trick question. "For being such a bitch. For ignoring you, when all you wanted was…" She trailed off, and stopped twiddling her thumbs. "What _do _you want?"

"We're supposed to be together." I told her.

"Well, yeah...but… _why_?" She exploded. "I still don't get it! People keep saying that to me! But no one has explained it! No one has _explained_ anything! I don't _understand_!"

I suddenly realized how unfair things had been, for both of us. Bonnie was almost completely in the dark about things - she had no clue as to why I was suddenly in love with her, apart from the whole werewolf thing, which was something she didn't really get anyway, since Seth and Brady had only really gone over the basics with her.

I bit my lip, trying to think of the best way to tell her. I thought hard until I remembered back to when I was thirteen years old, when I had been told the Quileute myths and legends - myths and legends that held more fact than anyone could ever have believed. I told her the story about the Third Wife - it was one most commonly used to explain imprinting.

I dragged it out, trying to spend as much time with her as possible, but the myth was a fairly short one, and took less than fifteen minutes.

She was shocked when I was finished. "So I'm your… 'true mate'?" She repeated my exact words, using her fingers as quotation marks. She still hadn't looked at me.

"Yes." I nodded robotically, my expression blank. I didn't want to open myself up yet - there was still a chance she could reject everything I was offering her.

She snorted. "No offence, but it sounds like a load of bullshit."

"It's all true. Every word."

She swallowed then, loudly. As she asked the next question, her heart beat increased. "And you would be willing to give up practical immortality… for me?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Oh, _Lord_, Collin. Please tell me, in a straight answer, _why_?"

I smiled at her. "Because I love you." I said simply. "We are made for each other."

A little gasp caught in her throat. She was silent. And then, in a smooth movement that rocked me to the core, she turned her face and looked me in the eye for the first time. Green met brown, and something sparked between us. I let my heart open up, and I fell for her completely. There was no going back. If she rejected me now, I would die.

She was beautiful. And she was realizing that _I_ was what she needed. That _I_ was the one for her. Something flickered in her eyes. She _understood_. She leaned forward. The second our lips met, the sun broke over the horizon, a burst of life-altering, sparkling gold rays. Bonnie was my sun, she had brought light and life to what had, up until now, been a dark and empty forest.

* * *

**Sorry it's taking so long! I've been so busy... anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Bonnie and Collin have FINALLY spoken properly! Jeez it took a long time... things with start to get interesting now, hopefully.**

**Please Review!**

**Love always!**

**Lily Beth x**

**Up Next: Bonnie struggles while adjusting to her first proper romantic relationship. Sully questions Collin about his change in attitude, as asks him to help her win over William, the ambulance driver... Maria has some news, and Seth and Aoife plan a christening for baby Evanna, and yes, the guest list includes rather a variety!**


	12. Christening Blues

**Well hello there everyone!**

**First off... major apologies. I'm so so so sorry that I haven't written in so long, and if I still have any readers it'll be nothing short of a miracle. I've changed a lot as a person in the couple of years since I started this story, but hopefully I can continue to deliver what you all seemed to enjoy so much in the beginning.**

**Please review and let me know how you all are, and what you think of this chapter!**

**Love always, Lily xo**

**Chapter 12**

I sat in an old armchair in Bonnie's untidy bedroom, watching as she faffed around, brushing her short, still vaguely purple hair, fixing her dress, and applying lipstick and then wiping it off again. She stood in front of the full length mirror that hung on her bedroom wall, glaring at her reflection, frustration clear in her green eyes.

"What's the matter?" I asked her, still hardly believing that I was in her presence, let alone in her _bedroom_.

Just over a month had passed since that morning when I'd found Bonnie on my doorstep. I was damn crazy about her, and she wasn't exactly resisting me anymore, which was a miracle. That wasn't saying she was easy work, though.

"I never look right," She muttered angrily, stepping away from the mirror and picking her bag up off her bed. I stood and crossed to room to her. She was standing with her back to me, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her slight frame to me.

"You always look perfect," I said, kissing the top of her head. She squirmed awkwardly away from me, still made uncomfortable by my displays of affection. I sighed and stepped away from her.

She turned back to me, her hands fluttering near her face. "I'm sorry," She groaned. "I just… I don't know. I'm sorry." She reached her arms up and wound them around my neck. I embraced her again, and kissed her. I was surprised when her mouth moved against mine and her grip on my neck tightened. We were just starting to get into it when something interrupted us.

"BONNIE!" Maria's voice echoed up to Bonnie's bedroom. "WE'RE GONNA BE LATE! IT'S SIX O'CLOCK ALREADY."

"Dammit." Bonnie pulled away from me quickly and grabbed her coat off the bed, heat rising in her face as though Maria had actually walked in on us.

I rolled my eyes at her and followed her out the door of her bedroom. Maria was standing in the hallway, looking a little nervous and excited.

"You guys ready?" She asked, picking up Wayne's car keys up from the hall table. "Wayne!" She called her husband.

"I'll drive, Maria," I said, ignoring Bonnie as she muttered darkly about having to go places she didn't want to go. "I know where the house is and everything."

"Are you sure, Collin?" Wayne said as he stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway, his coat already on. "I don't mind at all –"

"Really, it's no problem." I grinned at both of them, and Maria smiled warmly back.

"Thanks so much for inviting us along," She said. "I'm finding it kind of hard to get to know people, what with working in Seattle and all… I mean, there are people Wayne knows too, of course, but it's not quite the same…"

"Of course!" I opened the hall door. "It's the perfect opportunity – everyone's dying to meet Bonnie and you."

Maria smiled again and headed out towards my car.

"Behave," I muttered to Bonnie, and she scowled as she followed her chirpy older sister. I followed her, and Wayne locked the door of the house behind me.

Bonnie was silent for most of the journey. The more I got to know her, the more I realised that she wasn't rude or bitchy – her cold side came out when she just couldn't deal with something. She was nervous about having to go the christening and meet all these people, so she was oddly quiet and then snappy when she _did_ talk. I had learned within the first week of our being together that she didn't mean to inflict any hurt – it's just that she couldn't deal with nerves or agitation any other way.

"What a beautiful house," Maria sighed fifteen minutes later as we pulled up outside Aoife and Seth's large and beautiful stone cottage. Wayne agreed with her.

"Esme Cullen designed it – well, restored it, really. It was a ruin before Aoife and Seth bought the place. You'll meet Esme today, actually. She's a close friend of Seth and Aoife's. Her whole family are good friends with them."

I got out of the car and opened the back door to let Maria out. Bonnie too stepped out of the car, wrapping her coat around her body nervously as she clocked the large number of cars parked in the gravel driveway.

"You'll be fine," I said, holding her elbow as the four of us made our way towards the house.

"Will I really?" She said sarcastically, but her hand found mine. We climbed the stone steps to the house and I rang the doorbell, my sensitive ears already buzzing from the noise inside. I estimated that there were at least fifty people at the christening – and by "people", I meant humans, vampires and werewolves.

The door flung open after a moment, and a dark haired little girl grinned up at me.  
"Collin!" She squealed, and I let go of Bonnie's hand to pick her up and swing her around.

"How are you doing, Ella?" I kissed the top of her head. She smelled like candyfloss and I knew by the sweetness coming from her breath that she was high on candy. A train of small children clattered down the hallway behind her, all shouting and laughing, encouraged by the rush that came from distracted parents and access to far too much sugar.

"Who's this?" Bonnie asked, crouching down on her hunkers to smile at Ella, who was a giggling heap on the floor.

"I'm Ella," She said, smiling up at Bonnie.

"She's Sam and Emily's little girl," I explained. "You'll meet them shortly, I'd imagine!"

Wayne and Maria said hello to Ella, as all the other children came forward to claim Bonnie's attention. If there was one thing Bonnie was good at, it was kids. Not babies – it was like she was scared of them – but children flocked to her as though she were the Pied Piper. After a minute or so, they dispersed and Bonnie stood up.

"Ok then," She said, looking towards the door at the end of the hallway, where most of the noise was coming from. "Let's do this."

**Bonnie's POV**

I was sweating, but I was freezing cold. I didn't want to go to the christening, but I knew it was important to Collin. Then, when he invited Wayne and Maria along, it became important to them too, and there was no way in hell that I was getting out of it.

I was nervous. I didn't like the idea of being in a crowded room full of people I didn't know. I knew Seth and Aoife and all of Collin's wolf buddies and their galpals, but that was it. Also, I knew there were going to be vampires there. Yeah, Collin had reassured me that they were vegetarian or whatever, but still. I hadn't actually seen one in person yet, and I was pretty much scared shitless about going into a house full of them and bringing my innocent sister and brother-in-law with me.

After we had met little Ella Uley and a bunch of other kids, I prepped myself to go into a room full of people, some of whom I would undoubtedly have to make small talk with. I hated small talk. Before I had the chance to bolt, the door at the end of the hallway opened and Brady stepped out.

"Hey! You guys made it!"

Collin stepped forward, grinning broadly, and he and Brady did the whole bro hug thing they did whenever they saw each other. They were like little kids – the excitement when they were around each other was hilarious. After a moment, he introduced Maria and Wayne. Brady already knew of Wayne – he was Pastor Weber's nephew after all, and Forks and La Push was a small area. Before I could ready myself any more Brady pushed open the door behind him to reveal a big, open room that was crowded with noisy, cheerful people.

"Yo, Seth!" Brady called. "Collin and Bonnie are here!"

A moment later, Seth came towards us. "Hey everyone! It's great that you came!" He shook Collin and Wayne's hands and kissed my cheek and then Maria's. A moment later, he pulled Maria and Wayne off to introduce them to his wife and baby girl. Collin was engaged in conversation with his buddy and I was still clutching the bright pink gift bag that contained a christening gift. Spotting the food table at the far side of the room, with gifts stored underneath it, I made my way over. I put down the gift bag and poured myself a cup of fruit punch.

"Hi. You must be Bonnie."

I turned, my cup to my mouth, and found myself face to face with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was probably just a little taller than me, and had alabaster skin, softly waving dark hair, and eyes that were the most curious shade of gold. I swallowed my surprise, and feeling extremely self-conscious, I nodded.

"Yeah. And you are?"

"I'm Bella. Bella Swan. Or Cullen, I guess." She offered me her hand. As soon as she spoke her name, I knew she was a vampire. I hesitated for a moment before taking her hand, but everything that Collin had told me about them stood in my mind. _Harmless._

Her skin was freezing beneath mine, the polar opposite of Collin's. As soon as I could pick out the traits, I took note of all the other vampires in the room. There were seven or eight at least, all of them startlingly beautiful. Bella was friendly and chatty though, and oddly enough I found myself warming to her. I began to relax, and realised I'd been a fool to have wound myself up so much. These people were Collin's friends. And also his…

"Bonnie? Come over here and meet my family!"

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. This was something I was _not _looking forward to. I had been putting off meeting Collin's family for ages. I looked around, hoping to find Maria and use her as backup, but she was over near the fireplace, chatting to Aoife and cradling baby Evanna in her arms.

I slapped a smile onto my face and walked over to where Collin was standing, two women by his side.

As soon as I reached them, the older woman, his mother, pulled me into a rib cracking embrace. She smelled like lavender and soap, and a lump formed in my throat as I remembered my own mother.

"Bonnie, honey, it's so wonderful to finally meet you!" When she finally released me, tears were glistening in her soft brown eyes. I couldn't help but love her immediately.

Collin's sister, Brooke, was an entirely different kettle of fish. She was texting someone when I came over, and barely bothered to look up at me as she shook my hand. I felt my skin prickle with dislike for her.

"Mom, can I please go now?" She asked after a few moments of conversation.

"Brooke," Collin hissed.

"Mooooooom." Brooke whined. "I came, I saw the baby, I met Bonnie, I wanna leave. Please."

Tessa Whitethorn sighed. "I'm not driving you."

"Peter's on his way."

"What? But I only just said you can go!" She looked upset more than anything.

Brooke flashed a perfect white smile. "A precaution. See you guys later!" And she was gone, a whirl of bubble-gum pink and hairspray.

"I'm sorry," Tessa sighed. "She really has a mind of her own." She and I chatted for a few more minutes before she went off to help Seth's mom, Sue, put out some more food onto the already groaning tables.

"Am I behaving?" I raised an eyebrow at Collin.

"Far better than Brooke is, anyway," Collin frowned. His expression then softened as he looked down at me. "You're doing great."

"What's her problem, anyway?"

"Brooke's?"

"Yeah. Why can't I get a sister-in-law like Leah?" I glanced over to where Leah Clearwater was slyly necking shots of tequila with Aoife's brother and a group of other young men, some of them werewolves.

"Be nice," Collin said, looking a little defensive. "She's the only sister I've got."

I said nothing for a moment. "I met a vampire. I was nice to _her_. Don't ask me for too much. "

Collin sniggered. "I saw you chatting it up with Bella. You guys tight now?"

"She seems cool," I said archly, not rising to his bait. He knew how paranoid I was about the whole vampire thing. It freaked me out that I was living in close proximity to potentially deadly bloodsuckers.

"She _is_ cool." He suddenly changed the subject. "Have you been talking to Aoife and the baby yet?"

"No," I said, feeling disgruntled. I was sure he was going to scold me for my lack of manners. "Maria has been monopolizing them since we arrived." Which was true.

"She isn't anymore," Collin pointed out. "She's talking to some people Wayne knows. Let's go say hi to Aoife now."

I didn't object. I liked Aoife. If I'm honest, I was sort of in awe of her.

She was standing with a small group of people, one of them the young man Leah had been drinking with.

"Hi, Aoife!" Collin said cheerfully, giving her a hug and a kiss.

"Collin, Bonnie! I'm so glad you came! Bonnie, your sister is a dote," She said, hugging me. "Bonnie, Collin, this is my brother Rory, my mom, Anna, and my friend, Aoibheann."

We all shook hands. Aoife's brother was holding the baby, and without warning, he smiled and handed her to me. Before I could think how to say no, she was in the crook of my arm, gazing up at me with inquisitive blue eyes.

"Hey, baby," I murmured, smiling nervously at her.

Collin burst out laughing. "She isn't going to bite, Bonnie."

She was warm, and surprisingly heavy. And… damp.

"Aoife, I think she may have… um…"

"Oh!" Aoife's eyes widened, and she immediately took Evanna from me, lifting her into the air and smelling her bottom. "Yup. Sorry, Bonnie! All part of the package, unfortunately."

"Ha ha, no problem," I said, but Aoife was already dashing out of the room.

"I'm going to go make some tea," Her mother said after a moment. She smiled warmly at Collin and me. "It was really lovely to meet you both."

By now, Collin and Rory were engaged in a conversation about sport, and I was standing awkwardly next to them, unsure what to say. I wished I hadn't worn a stupid dress – I really wanted pockets to shove my hands into. I settled for fiddling with the sleeves of my cardigan as I made small talk with Aoife's friend, Aoibheann.

"You want a drink?" She asked, and we moved away from the men, towards the food table. As we crossed the room, I accidentally bumped into one of the werewolves, Embry Call.

"Whoops, sorry, Embry."

"Oh, hey Bonnie –" He stopped suddenly as he caught sight of Aoibheann. "Er… hi, Aoibheann. How are you?"

"Um…" She just stared at him. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, and wished I could run. "Fine, thanks."

They stood in silence for another moment, just staring at each other.

"Er… how about that drink?" I said, desperate to break the tension.

"Right." Aoibheann pulled her gaze from Embry's face, and we moved to the refreshment table.

She poured two glasses of punch, and handed one to me. "Are you up for spicing things up a little?"

I raised an eyebrow at her, unsure of what she meant. She pulled a hip flask from her handbag.

"Yes, definitely." I heaved a sigh of relief. Anything to relax me a little. My shoulders were starting to ache from the tension in them. I just wasn't used to social situations.

Aoibheann poured a generous amount of dark liquid into my glass, and then her own. We clinked them together and drank. It was strong – the alcohol burned my throat for a moment but then pleasantly warmed my chest.

"You're an object, aren't you?" Aoibheann drained her glass and then wiped her mouth. I noticed her hand was shaking. "As in werewolves."

"Er –"

"It's ok," She sighed. "I know everything. Aoife's my best friend."

"Well then… yeah."

"Collin is great, you know. You're incredibly lucky to have him." She poured herself another drink, this one even stronger.

"It's taken me a while to come around, believe me."

"Really?" Aoibheann looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

I felt uncomfortable. "I didn't like it when he imprinted on me. I'm independent. I like my freedom."

"Don't you realise what it means, though?" Aoibheann looked a bit disgusted with me. "It _means _that he'll love you unconditionally, forever. You have the kind of love most people can only dream of." She looked across the full room, to where Embry was now standing with Collin and Rory.

"Did you guys date or something?" Almost as soon as the words escaped my mouth, I regretted them.

"Or something," Aoibheann said a little bitterly. "I fell in love with him the same summer that Seth and Aoife met. We dated for three years but he ended it eventually. I guess he was afraid I was keeping him from his one true love or something." She drained her glass again. "All I'm saying, Bonnie, is appreciate what you have. You're lucky. Realise that." She smiled sadly at me, and then turned and left, leaving me all alone.

"That was a lovely evening, thank you so much, Collin!" Maria grinned happily as she got out of Collin's car. "We'll see you tomorrow, right? For dinner?"  
"Definitely, Maria," Collin said, smiling broadly at her. "I'm glad you enjoyed the evening."

Maria smiled again and headed up the porch steps to open the door.

Wayne leaned back into the car too. "Seriously man, thanks a lot. Maria's been lonely since we came… she gave up a lot when she left California. You opened a lot of doors tonight. I won't forget it."

Collin nodded. "No problem, Wayne."

"Don't be too long, Bon," Wayne said. He squeezed my shoulder warmly and headed into the house after my sister.

And Collin and I were alone.

"So, you survived." He turned to me, smiling.

I couldn't help it – I smiled back. "I guess it wasn't so bad. Comes a close second to chemo, though."

"Don't joke like that!" Collin said, but he laughed. We were quiet for another moment.

"I love you, you know." He said, not looking at me. I wasn't looking at him either. I was gazing mindlessly up at my sister's house.

"I know you do." I surprised him by leaning over and kissing him. Hell, I surprised myself. I was still weird about the whole relationship thing, but I just couldn't resist Collin. As much as I hated to admit it, even to myself, I was crazy about him too.

He kissed me back for a few moments, and then I pulled away.

"Goodnight."

His right hand was on my left cheek, warm and a little coarse against my skin.  
"Goodnight," He whispered, and he leaned forward and kissed me again, lightly this time.

I picked my bag up off the car floor and opened the door. Collin started the car engine as I climbed the porch steps and opened Wayne and Maria's hall door. He reversed the car out of the driveway.

"Hey, Collin?" I called. He wound down the window, looking up at me.

"Yeah?"  
"I guess I love you too. Goodnight."

And then I closed the door.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it, guys! Let me know what you thought. :)**


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